


Spiders and Earrings

by DarthAmelie



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, gay borgs, gender non-conforming V, lots of maelstrom, maelstroms are not nice, not that much sex and don't expect detailed smut here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:15:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29654649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthAmelie/pseuds/DarthAmelie
Summary: Dum Dum/Male V (adding it here just in case AO3 decides to mess with the tags)V is a metal music fan fascinated by the Maelstrom gang for their aesthetics and music tastes. Despite the rumors surrounding them and strong prejudice against them between people of Night City, he decides to get to know the gang better.
Relationships: Dum Dum/Male V, Dum Dum/V (Cyberpunk 2077)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Spiders and Earrings

**Author's Note:**

> Most of you probably don't know who Bjorn is, so I'll just leave this here: https://youtu.be/2-_Hb-uo8Qw?t=205  
> He's just a minor Maelstrom goon with a generic look, but he's cute ;)

**CHAPTER ONE: THE SPIDER'S DEN**

It was already getting dark when V messaged Regina about finishing another job. One of the Maelstroms went crazy because of the brutal treatment he received from his fellow gang members, just for standing out and openly supporting Brick. Playing a hero was a bad idea with these guys, so V was glad he decided to pay for Flathead using his own money. The extra reward was a nice tour around their warehouse that he even enjoyed, and getting on their bad side was something he would never wish after seeing what state poor Ellis was in, so he was glad he decided never to call Militech. Corporations. Always hated them.

Despite his inner gut telling him not to go to the club nearby, he decided not to listen to it, as his throat demanded a drink after that difficult fight. He left most guns in the trunk of his bike, just in case of no-iron policy, then went inside. Several patrons were noisily chatting and ignoring him, he didn’t really stand out with that outfit and style. No one cared about his bright colored hair and make-up, skinny leather pants, and Maelstrom jacket he took off one of their bodies that he knocked out, as he preferred to avoid killing these goons. For some reason they fascinated him, and in that jacket he looked just like one of their sympathizers. That was why no one stopped him, even the bouncer guarding the elevator just took a quick look in his direction and continued to smoke something with others. V walked past him, pressed the button to the last floor that said “Totentanz”, and waited to get up there.

As soon as the doors opened, he heard loud, heavy music. Exactly his favorite kind, so he wondered why people always told him to stay out of that place. It was violent, they said. But which part of Night City wasn’t violent? It was dangerous, they said. But which part of that city wasn’t dangerous? Maelstroms were crazy, they said. But he already met them more than once and still wasn’t dead, so even if all these horror stories were somewhat true, the narrators overly exaggerated. Or maybe becoming more and more skilled turned him into a dangerous thug. It was hard to tell, as he didn’t feel different than months, or even years ago. Same V, same mind.

Everything was going fine, until he went into one corridor and found a few Maelstroms standing near the staircase, all of their red eyes landed exactly on him.

“Look, ‘tis the All Foods gonk. Whatcha doin’ here, taking tours again?!” One of them said, he looked familiar... and soon V realized which one he was.

“Bjorn, right? Dum Dum’s gonna show me your dildo collection, just as promised.”

“Gonk remembers my name, preem. Wanna meet Mr Stud? _All night long_... no need to invite this ugly face, ya can get this free of charge.” He grabbed at his own crotch and laughed.

“Piss me off and I’ll make yours ugly.” Suddenly a familiar Maelstromer came upstairs and eyed him, head to toe. “The fuck you came here for?! Told ya to stay away. No repeat business.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Dum Dum. Got tired after work, came to have a drink, leave my eddies at the bar. That a problem?” V placed his hands on his waist and stared into the red lights where the man’s eyes used to be in the past.

“Nah, we like eddies, but you smell like trouble. Gonna watch you.” Dum Dum pointed his finger at the merc and suddenly turned towads the talkative goon, just to smack his head. „Yeah, just watch, Bjorn. Keep that tiny thing in your pants, else you gonna embarrass yourself.”

“Jealous of my pretty face, cuz no one wants you? You’re ugly, deal with it.”

“Shut it, you’re both ugly ‘borgs. Now lemme get the fuckin’ drink.” V suddenly managed to quiet them both down, as they didn’t expect him to talk back again, so he just went downstairs to find a bar.

The dancefloor was full of intoxicated people, some dancing, others with alcohol bottles in their hands, both common people and gang members. Someone was fighting while others cheered, there were several patrons near the DJ’s console as well, probably waiting with their own song requests. The strobe lights were bright red, like the color of his own hair. He loved it, the vibe of the club, felt like the perfect place to party. If he avoided any trouble, of course. The bar was nearby, so he sat on the stool and stared at the bartender, waiting for her to take the order.

“What?!” She yelled loudly. Perfect customer service. Ten out of ten.

“Need a drink!” V shouted, to make sure she heard him.

“No shit! What drink?!”

“Got Centzon?!”

“NO! Sold out!”

“One Broseph Ale!” V sighed. It was something always in stock. Everywhere.

Obviously, she did have it, so he paid and took a large sip from the bottle. How wonderfully cold it was... exactly what his throat needed, at the moment. Most people around him had such inexpensive beverages. It was Northside. The poor district hated by the elites, who didn’t even want to remember such places existed, so they shielded themselves from it by building skyscrapers to hide it from their sensitive eyes. Even if V himself grew up at a slightly better place, he’s experienced similar treatment in his life. That was why he hated corporations and preferred to support Maelstrom instead of those rich Militech assholes. Maybe he was foolish to pay for Flathead again, but at least they allowed him to stay at the club. Yet, he nervously tightened the grip on the bottle, worried that someone might still recognize him as that merc, who incapacitated them doing various jobs for Regina, just to earn some eddies. V tried his best not to be seen, but his bright hair color and preference for slightly feminine style could be easy to remember, so he only hoped that they were too high to realize it was him.

The crowd was so tight, it was difficult to see anyone’s face clearly, so that’s where he decided to hide and enjoy the loud music. Nuclear Aura was the name of the band currently playing. He recognized it easily, because it was his favorite song from the Ritual FM radio. Taking a sip from the bottle, he just headbanged together with others. The rumors about Totentanz were much more scary than he expected. Yeah, he noticed several drunken fights, but same things happened on the streets. Maybe the bad reputation of that place came from a sensitive corpo who felt brave once, but the reality shocked them so much they had to share their stupid thoughts somewhere... and these bastards knew how to spread fake propaganda. As long as they hurt someone, everything was fine, however if someone did the same to them, they easily turned into drama queens instead of enduring the consequences of the world they created.

_“Just look at yourselves, what have you done to your faces? How can someone live like that?”_ V suddenly overheard and came closer just to listen to the conversation. Apparently, a drunken corpo in a fancy suit was trying to lecture the Maelstroms.

“Oh, just shut it already, ya corpo scum.” One of the goons tried his best to be patient with that man, but he was really close to losing it.

“Or what? Are you going to attack me? I have connections, Militech would destroy this club of yours if I tell them to!” He shook his fist at them and almost tripped over empty bottles on the floor.

“Militech can suck my cock! Now fuck off, last warning.” V could see his hand travelling to the knife attached to the belt.

“Ugly ‘borg, you won’t threaten me! I’m calling Militech, right now!” The man tried to find his phone, but the goon just smirked and tripped him up when he wasn’t looking.

The corpo fell on the ground and Maelstrom placed the boot on his face, pressing it to the floor.

“No Militech at Totentanz. Warned ya.” He laughed together with his friends. “What should we do to him, chooms? Tractor arms?”

“Nah, gonk can’t shut up. Remove his jaw.” One of them suggested.

Suddenly, the man noticed that V has been watching them and tried his best to get his attention.

“Hey, hey you! With red hair! Please help me, HELP!!! They want to kill me!” He yelled as loudly as it was possible, which caused everyone around them to look in their direction. However, they only seemed curious and didn’t plan on doing anything, probably out of fear for their lives.

V could probably do the same, but for some reason he didn’t feel comfortable about ignoring the man, so he came closer and crouched down to look at him. What was the right choice in that situation? He would probably get paid handsomely by that corpo asshole. On the other hand, Maelstroms would be pissed off and he really didn’t want to do anything wrong on their turf. Besides, he wasn’t on friendly terms with the suits. They claimed to be good guys, but it was far from the truth.

“What happened, man?” He tried to stall, just to make up his mind.

“They are cruel! Sadistic machines! Look at their faces, help! AAAAAHHH, IT HURTS!” He yelled when one of the goons kicked his crotch. “Help, you look like a good person, I’ll pay!”

“How much?” V asked, but Maelstroms didn’t seem to like it and suddenly pointed their guns at him.

“A little pussy with make-up and painted nails ain’t gonna do shit.” One of them laughed, soon others joined.

V has heard it too many times in his life and usually it ended up with a fight, but there were too many of them around. He could end up defeated on the floor, right next to the corpo. He had to teach them respect another time.

“Chooms, no need to fight. Besides, corpos are only useful for their money and this one ain’t rich, I can see that.” V got up and spoke to the gang members.

“Yeah, yeah… now fuck off! I ain’t gonna stick my dick in you, joytoy, so stop lookin’ at me.” The Maelstromers poked fun at him once again and picked up the suit to take him elsewhere.

V really hated not being taken seriously because of his appearance and his inner desire to share his real thoughts was strong at that moment, but he had to control himself. It wasn’t the first time someone judged his taste and told him to man up, anyway. Not all Maelstroms were so annoying, Dum Dum seemed much nicer than others, for some reason. Was he just a nice person? It was hard to tell, these ‘borgs were weird. Didn’t treat him as bad as that suit, though.

The merc was about to get another beer for himself, when his phone suddenly vibrated. It could be something important, so he took it out immediately.

“Wanna get out of here in one piece? Come upstairs, left side of stage.” The message said.

“Who the fuck are you?” V replied.

He waited for the response, but it never arrived, so he looked around, found the right staircase, and went up there, more irritated than scared. If they wanted something from him, they could come in person instead of sending sneaky texting him like an immature child. Upstairs, there was just a big couch and no one else in sight, but soon he felt his phone in the pocket again.

“Go through the door.” The new text said.

“Too scared to come out? If it’s a trap, you’re dead. I promise.” He just had to add something before shoving the small device back where it was previously.

There was only one door in front of him, so he opened it. Behind it he saw a dark, dirty room with tables and alcohol bottles scattered everywhere. Several pairs of red eyes landed on him as soon as he entered. Too many of them to handle it quietly, if it was really an ambush. They were on their territory and he was alone, it would be foolish to underestimate them... During missions it was easy to plan everything, but that time they had it all planned.

“Why so slow, thought you’d be less scared.” It was Bjorn, who came out of a dark corner and revealed himself.

“Cause I ain’t dumb, is that a set up?” V crossed his arms and glared into the weird, red visors. They were a little blinding, how could they even maintain any eye-contact with each other?

“Nah, won’t fuck you on the dancefloor. Too crowded.” He came closer and stroked V’s cheek, his hand surprisingly wasn’t chrome. “Comin’ here, lookin’ like a joytoy, just to have a drink? You like ‘borg cock, don’t you?” He slid a thumb over the merc’s lips.

„Ain’t you the horny one? Never tried to hit on any of you gonks in my life, yet you’re doin’ it all the fuckin’ time.” He laughed nervously. Even if it amused him how thirsty that man was, it wasn’t funny at that point. Maybe the previous encounter just affected his mood, but he couldn’t be sure what was happening, at this point.

Everyone else in the room laughed really loudly, which annoyed the Maelstrom in front of him.

“Then the fuck is the deal with this jacket?! Sluts wear it when they wanna fuck. Looks cool, or somethin’.” He took his hand away.

“Oh, this?” V faked a smile and pointed at the leather piece of his wardrobe. “I just really like it. Good protection in the fight, too.”

“Damn it is! Join us, you’ll be even more stylish!” Bjorn grinned. His teeth were really clean and white. Weird contrast to his body that was covered with bruises and scratches. V wondered what caused it, were they that brutal in the gang, or did he just fight often?

Gangsters around them laughed again, it seemed they were either really high, or mocked him for his looks again.

“Nah, I’d rather fly solo.” Working under Royce seemed like a horrible idea. Keeping these pretty Kiroshis was also better than having his eyes replaced. “Gonna threaten me again, or can I go?”

Just in case, he placed his hand on the gun. That wasn’t unnoticed by the goon, who became tense.

Fortunately, another Maelstromer entered the room. They all looked annoyed when they saw him, as if they were caught doing something they weren’t supposed to do.

“Havin’ fun, crybabies?! If you gonna kill, just kill, else you gonna be killed.” The voice was familiar and fortunately it didn’t belong to Royce.

“Nah, they’re just playin’. Came to kill me yourself?” V shrugged and watched Dum Dum giving them all a glare… if it could even be called like that. Despite not being the leader, he somehow managed to keep them in line.

“Depends. Gotta talk, follow me. No tricks.”

“Fine.” The merc looked at Dum Dum’s posture and understood why some of them made fun of the guy. He limped when he walked and was stuffed with cyberware more than most of them. Was it a sign of craziness, addiction, or maybe devotion to the rules of his group?

He had heard of the gang’s forceful initiations, yet somehow doubted that was what they wanted from him, as he could take care of himself. Unlike many, who needed protection of a group. V had many skills that might be useful, but they had a death wish if they expected to restrain him without a serious fight.

As he was leaving, he only heard “ _Haha, Dum Dum’s stealin’ your joytoy, Bjorn!”_ and an angry “ _Shut your trap!”_ , so he had to cover his mouth to avoid laughing too loudly. Taking these goons seriously was really hard sometimes.

They went downstairs, turned right into a concrete corridor that collapsed at its end. The walls were dirty and covered in graffiti. Next, Dum Dum got into another room, which was... a bathroom? A dirty bathroom that looked and smelled like no one has ever cleaned there, so V covered his nose, but something else caught his attention, specifically “ _Den Den was here”_ written on a wall.

“Den Den? Sounds similar to your name. Is it your ‘art’?” He asked.

“Mind your own business.” The man in front of him suddenly jumped out of the window, but it seemed he didn’t fall, as there was something to stand on. “Come on, move your ass.”

V carefully stuck his head outside of it, there was some kind of a passage. No barriers anywhere and they were very high above the ground.

“Ain’t very safe.” He hesitated.

“The fuck? This whole place ain’t safe. Just move it already.”

When V finally got outside, Dum Dum sat on the edge, legs dangling in the air, and patted the empty space next to him. The merc carefully lowered himself and joined the Maelstromer, who suddenly smiled and took a hit out his familiar looking inhaler that he offered to V.

“That really ain’t safe...” The redhead complained, yet accepted it once again. It pleased the other man and helped them to relax, too.

“Told ya already, this whole place ain’t safe. You gotta live on the edge, or regret everything.” Dum Dum took it out of his hands and placed in one of his pockets.

The view was very pleasant, especially that late at night with all the colorful neons clearly visible. It wasn’t as beautiful as other parts of the city, but he understood why anyone would come there and enjoy it. Everything looked better from above, always.

“Doesn’t seem like I’m in trouble, huh?” V took a deep breath of air... but that was a rather bad idea, because Watson air was never fresh and smelled like crap, even at the docks.

“Nah, cuz Royce doesn’t remember you and he won’t talk to most guys. They’re too scared of him, too, so unless I tell him a pussy like ya makes a mess in Northside and Totentanz, he won’t give a fuck.” Dum Dum shrugged.

“Ugh, just stop that talk. Gonna tell him, or no?” V somehow doubted the man would do that, but he didn’t understand why.

“Nah, but gotta be nicer to our boys. No more merc work in Watson... unless you kill Tyger Claws and Scavs. Might even pay for it myself, if ya don’t break these nails.” He grinned.

“Can’t fuckin’ do it yourself?” The redhead replied frustrated. Couldn’t they just stop it? Trying to direct his attention elsewhere, he took a closer look at Dum Dum’s mostly mechanical body. Skin could be real, same with a part of his face, but the rest seemed pretty much artificial. Was it even possible that the man was as human as Adam Smasher? That wasn’t uncommon to replace so many body parts, but most people covered their cyberware with synthskin. Maelstroms probably had other priorities, or maybe they didn’t earn as much money from selling drugs as he thought.

„Better if it ain’t us, they ain’t gona come and beat our asses.” He grinned. Such pretty white teeth, again. Did they steal a crate full of dental implants at some point?

The merc didn’t even realize he was staring at the man’s lips for too long, until he received an impatient nudge.

“S-keef got you high already?”

“What? What, no, it’s just hard to... keep eye contant with y’all ‘borgs. Keeps blinding me. Stared at your nose instead.” He came up with an excuse that wasn’t exactly a lie.

“I ain’t used to dealing with ‘ganics, either. Mean assholes, that’s what y’all are. But you’re okay, so we treat you nicely.” His chrome hand squeezed V’s shoulder. That was probably meant to be a friendly gesture, but Dum Dum seemed not to realize the amount of pressure he had put into it, and V also couldn’t feel as much pain as usual because of the drug he took, so his body didn’t react, yet something seemed wrong.

“You call it nice? That friend of yours was threatening me, you also make fun of me all the time.” All V felt was his arm going stiff, so he gently pulled the chrome hand off of him.

“Oh, cry me a river. Didn’t attack you. Bjorn even complimented you. Forgot the things they say about Maelstrom? All true. We gonna do what we want, and right now we wanna be nice.” Dum Dum moved closer and grabbed his chin roughly. Even if it didn’t hurt, he sensed the pressure.

“Are you doing this on purpose, or do you not realize that my flesh is too weak against your...” He mumbled, but the man didn’t seem to care about it at all, just pulled him into a kiss.

At least his lips were soft, and much warmer than he expected. Just like real, human lips. V closed his eyes, because the red visor was blinding him too much from such close distance, yet could still see the bright light through the closed eyelids. Dum Dum’s kiss was soft, but the hold was really tight, and on top of that, he also squeezed his throat with the other hand and tested how much the man in front of him could handle. He didn’t even stop when V tried to pull these fingers off his neck. Only quickhacking his visor worked eventually, because the ‘borg got blind for a moment and loosened the grip, completely confused.

“I can defend myself, asshole. Stop playing with me...” The merc coughed. It was still hard to breathe.

Dum Dum just shook his head, as if he tried to throw water droplets off himself, and laughed. “So weak, typical for a ‘ganic. Maybe Bjorn’s tiny cock would be just enough for you.”

V glared at him, then punched his stomach, hard. Quickly, he learned that it was a very bad idea, because it didn’t harm that ‘borg body even a little.

“Oh fuck, did I break it? Can’t feel anything ‘cause of the Lace...” He stared at the knuckles, but it was hard to tell, as his arm wasn’t organic anymore. It was programmed to function like a regular body part for better user experience, but damaging it wasn’t serious business. Except for his wallet maybe, but at that point he could already afford repairs.

Dum Dum took his hand and pulled closer to his face. „Nah. Expensive shit you’ve got, good model. Scanner shows no damage.”

Scanner? Of course, no one would actually get rid of their eyes to install red lights for aesthetic purposes. These things could be even better than his Kiroshi, he still had so many things to learn about Maelstroms and how their bodies worked. It felt like hanging out with a totally different species. They used to be human at some point, but was there any humanity in them left? There were moments when he thought they were just like him, then suddenly they treated him like a test object, as if they forgot what it was like to have an organic body... and V still could consider himself human enough. His cyberware was made to imitate a real body, while he wasn’t sure about the ‘borg parts of the man in front of him.

“Your skin, do you even feel anything?” His curiosity really needed to be satiated.

“Sure, some of it is mine, some belonged to other people, some is synth skin... works like the real thing.” Dum Dum grabbed V’s hand and placed on his arm. “Go ahead, feel it.”

The redhead was anxious, the skin was really scarred at some points, with visible veins... still not the worst scars he’d ever seen on these men, but it was frightening to actually touch it. At the same time, he really wanted to experience the feeling, so he ran just the fingertips over it, right where the tissue was connected to the mechanical parts. It was softer, but also a little colder than he expected.

“Uhhh...” He was at loss for words.

“What? Grossed out, gonk?”

“Nah... wondering why it’s so cold.” He looked at it closer, even more curious than before.

Compared to others, Dum Dum really took care of his appearance. At first it didn’t seem so, since his clothes were a really loose fit, chosen probably for practical reasons, not style. The body itself, however, consisted of many unique modifications and not as many scars as he expected. Dum Dum was very clean, too, which couldn’t be said about all of the gang members. Bjorn, for example, looked like he hasn’t seen a shower in a while.

“’Borgs like me ain’t warm, dumbass. Even know shit ‘bout technology?”

“Yeah, can tell you’ve got some really unique parts in you. What I can’t understand is your sense of aesthetics. Most people probably think you’re scary. Bjorn called you ugly.” He traced his finger over Dum Dum’s neck and the area where human collarbone would be.

“Bjorn’s a gonk. You think I’m ugly? Scary?” He frowned, obviously not happy with what he’d just heard.

“A little scary, yes. Ugly? At first I thought so, but a lot of work was put into this body. I know more stuff than you expect, you’re sittin’ next to a netrunner techie, choom.” V smiled.

“Cool, next time do something with your ‘ganic parts, they work like shit.” Dum Dum’s red eyes scanned an area of his body that probably was neck, but it was hard to tell. They were completely different than real eyes and didn’t require movement to be fully functional.

“Next time? Who said anything ‘bout that?” V teased, but it seemed to annoy his companion, which was really surprising. Did he actually care? No, that wasn’t possible. Probably didn’t want to lose a pretty toy to play with, yet. Just in case, to avoid being a total asshole, he added: “Might be dead, who the fuck knows? It’s Night City.”

It was that, also the engram shit in his head. Johnny was inactive at that moment, bless the Omega-blockers, but the issue was still there. If, for some mysterious reasons, these ‘borgs had any other feelings in them than malice and anger, he couldn’t form any attachments. Not with them, not with anyone, ever. That chip could kill him anytime and he wouldn’t even have a chance to say goodbye.

“Recommend suppressing braindance for that kind of thoughts. Free of charge, I’ll talk to guys ‘bout it, just ask.” Dum Dum suggested.

“Nah, gonna deal with shit in my own way. I ain’t a ‘borg and ain’t plannin’ to be one.” V got up and stretched himself.

The sun was slowly awakening from its slumber, so he stood there for a moment and admired the view. Despite all that pollution in the air, the ball of fire was still there, unaffected by any climate changes and toxic rain, above everything, like some kind of a deity. He understood why primitive cultures worshipped it so much in the ancient times. The sun was too far from everything, the Earth and its atmosphere, it never changed and looked the same. Every time.

“Thanks, Dum Dum. I gotta go now, got some shit to do. But this club, very nice. Fuck what corpos say about it.” He patted the man’s shoulder in a friendly manner and came back inside through the window, then headed back towards the elevator, thinking about everything that happened.

It was a very interesting evening, no wonder so many people liked to party at Totentanz. After facing so many restrictions at all these fancy places, it felt free. Even Afterlife had a certain reputation to uphold, as it was used mostly for business, but Maelstrom place? As long as you didn’t piss them off, you could do whatever you wanted. Yeah, it was very easy to get hurt, but at the same time no one watched your every step, you could sit on the unstable construction high above the ground, no safety measures... Seemed like an experience he might want to repeat. Maybe Dum Dum just knew it there would definitely be next time.


End file.
